Creekside4Tim

In August 2012 Tim was diagnosed with high grade, aggressive Stage IV prostate cancer.

Although the cancer had advanced beyond surgical intervention, in retrospect, this was perhaps a blessing. With no urgency for surgery, and because radiation treatments were not yet planned, we recovered from the news and immediately began learning everything we could about prostate cancer, as well as conventional, complementary and alternative treatments.

We learned that conventional health plans will only pay for invasive or toxic treatments like surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, but we also learned that there are many non-toxic treatments that treat cancer as the systemic disease that it is. Unfortunately, insurance does not cover such holistic treatments and they must be paid out-of-pocket. Tim has therefore chosen a path to healing that is non-toxic and supportive of the body, mind and spirit.

In April he will travel to Germany, where a 'freedom of treatment' law will give him access to treatments that are either unavailable or more expensive in Canada and the U.S.. His goal with these treatments and subsequent followup is to be declared "cancer free" by August 2013.

Unfortunately, when he told his physician here in Vancouver that he first wanted to pursue the alternative holistic, and non-toxic treatment plan, his doctor became visibly agitated and rude. He said there was no place for alternative medicine in cancer and dismissed Tim's six months of research on conventional and alternative methods as "foolish" and "idiotic". He refused to monitor Tim's progress with alternative treatments unless Tim agreed to go down the recommended path of radiation and chemo. In so doing, his doctor revealed his narrow-minded focus on just treating the prostate, rather than the whole person. Cancer is not an isolated disease but a systemic one and must be treated as such.

Tim remains undaunted. When presented by the personal challenge of cancer, he's shown to me and his friends that he's up to that challenge.

The full cost of treatments, testing, airfare, food and lodging will approach $18,000. After having pre-paid for our travel and accommodations,  the treatments and tests over a three-week period will amount to $12,000.